CEO and Co-Founder Gingko Bioworks, Jason Kelly discusses the wonder and challenges of bioengineering, the history of biotech, first principles thinking, super-voting shares, and applying AI to DNA engineering.
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Quick takeaways
Building great companies requires long-term vision and dedication.
Ginkgo Bioworks is making cell engineering more accessible and scalable.
The use of AI in synthetic biology holds immense potential for bioengineering advancements.
Deep dives
The Importance of Long-Term Growth
Building truly great and meaningful companies takes time and perseverance. The speaker cites examples like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Amazon, which all faced skepticism and worked in obscurity for years before achieving success. The takeaway is that if a venture seems too easy and quick, it may not be as impactful or important. Long-term vision and dedication are crucial for creating world-class organizations.
Ginkgo's Role in Synthetic Biology
Ginkgo Bioworks is a company that specializes in programming DNA. They manipulate the DNA code of cells to engineer biological solutions. Customers range from pharmaceutical and biotech companies to fragrance and agriculture companies. Ginkgo acts as a platform service provider, akin to Amazon Web Services, offering its robotic lab infrastructure to design and build DNA for various applications. The goal is to make cell engineering more accessible, affordable, and scalable.
The Wider Recognition of Biotech
The field of biotechnology has historically been overshadowed by software in the tech world. However, it is gaining recognition and interest due to breakthroughs and advancements. The speaker notes that the cost of biotechnology work has been a barrier to entry, much higher than that of software development. But as costs come down and more consumer-oriented applications emerge, the perception and awareness of biotech could change dramatically. Examples such as engineering colorful flowers or altering the taste of alcohol showcase the potential of biotech in capturing people's imagination and interest.
Bringing Back Extinct Fragrances
A company called Arcaya launched five fragrances that are derived from the scent of extinct flowers. Using DNA code from the extinct flowers, the company redesigned the code to work in yeast, resulting in a yeast that can produce the scent of the extinct flower when brewed. The company then worked with perfumers to design commercial fragrances around these scents, offering a unique product that cannot be replicated.
The Role of AI in Synthetic Biology
The use of AI in synthetic biology has the potential to greatly impact the field. By training AI models to understand DNA code, researchers can gain insights into the alien technology of biology that humans are not native speakers of. This superhuman capability of AI could unlock the ability to design and program biology, allowing for the manufacturing of various substances using plants and other living organisms. The partnership between Ginkgo Bioworks and Google Cloud aims to develop AI models that can effectively understand and utilize DNA code, paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in bioengineering.
Guest: Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks
Almost everyone in the second generation of biotechnology entrepreneurs, says Ginkgo Bioworks CEO Jason Kelly, works in that field because of one thing: Jurassic Park. The Michael Crichton novel-turned-Steven Spielberg movie captured both the wonder and beauty of bioengineering, and the challenges of bending DNA to your own ends. “You didn’t invent biology,” Jason says. “You need to have humility in the face of it ... because life will find a way. It will do things you don’t expect. It’s not a computer.”
In this episode, Jason and Joubin discuss the Wall Street rollercoaster, designer cells, the history of biotech, Herbert Boyer and Genentech, ChatGPT, extinct flowers, Sam Altman and YCombinator, first principles thinking, compounding risk, Patrick Collison, super-voting shares, capital intensive businesses, Pets.com, and why biology is like “freakishly powerful alien technology.”
In this episode, we cover:
Being private vs. being public (00:58)
How bioengineering works (04:27)
Jurassic Park (08:51)
Biotech breakthroughs (12:15)
Why this field is not well-known yet (16:57)
“The ChatGPT moment for biotech” (22:05)
Meaningful stuff takes forever (26:23)
Ginkgo’s first five years (29:02)
Why the company went public (36:20)
Short sellers, Warren Buffett, and Elon Musk (42:08)